Combination tie-plate and rail-clip



0. c; WRENSHALL. COMBINATION ,TIE PLATE AND RAIL CLIP.

(No Model.)

No. 459,305.. Patented Apr. 14, 1891.

nm lnrmlllllll 1 Ens ca, "60704."?!

UNITED TATES PATENT FFICE.

CHARLES C. \VRENSHAIIL, OF ANNISTON, ALABAMA.

COMBINATION'TlE-PLATE ANiD RAIL-CLIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,305, dated April 14, 1891.

Application filed May 31, 1890. Serial No. 353,729. (No model.) I

To 00 whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. WREN- SHALL, of Anniston, in the county of Calhoun and State of Alabama, have invented certain casioned by their outer flanges or bases be coming embedded in the cross-ties by the pressure exerted bythe passing trains. The force thus exerted usually causes the rails to assume positions outof the normal perpendicular line. This is especially the case where curves occur in the track where the pressure and weight of the fast traffic are exerted at an angle and tends to force the heads of the rails outward and to crush the outer flanges of the rails into the cross-ties. Braces have been used to support the heads of the rails and prevent them from being thus forced outward; but in order that they may be effectual the braces must be of sufficient strength and solidity to support the whole weight brought to bear upon them or the edges of the braces next the rails will become embedded in the cross-ties, and thus fail to support the rails. Anotherdisadvant-age in this manner of bracing is that the point at which the rails are most liable to become tilted or forced outward is at the connecting-joint, and it is impossible to apply thesebraces at this point on account of their interference with the plates connecting the rails together, so that with these devices the weakest portions of the tracks are left without support.

\Vith my invention the rails are held firmly and squarely upon their base and sufficient surfaces are covered by the supporting-plates to prevent any portion of the plates becoming embedded, even when soft-wood cross-ties are used. I also hold the rails at the joints withoutinterfering with the connectingplates and secure the tie-plates and rails firmly together and prevent any rattle or loose motion between them.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a sectional elevation of my improved tie-plate,

showing the rail in position thereon with the clips, bolts, and fillers. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, one of the nuts and clips and fillers being removed, showing the opening in the tie-plates adapted to receive the bolt and the angle-piece of the clip. Fig. '3 is an elevation of the clip, showing the shoulders thereon. Fig. t is a detail of one of the fillers. Fig. 5 shows the screw-socket wrench used for screwing down the bolts into the ties. Fig. 6 shows a modification thereof. Fig. 7 illustrates the manner of cutting out the sides of the bolts and the inside of the modified form of wrench shown in Fig. 6.

In the drawings, 2 represents the tie-plate, preferably formed of sheet metal, although I do not confine myself to this material, having a plane lower surface of sufficient area in contact with the upper surface of the crosstie to distribute the weight brought to bear upon the rail and avoid the liability of any portion of said plate becoming embedded in the cross-tie. The rail 3 is placed upon the upper surface of this tie-plate 2, and is firmly held in position by the clips 4 and 5. 7 As shown, these clips are provided with the smaller angle portion 6, adapted to be inserted through the openings 7 in the tie-plate 2, the shoulders 8 upon the clips being prevented from coming in contact with the upper surface of the tie-plate by a filler 9 of sufficient thickness. The bolts 10 are screwed down into the tie, as shown, a hole being first bored out in the tie to receive them. I preferably provide a grip-thread 11 upon the upper end of these bolts 10 and the standard threads, as shown, upon the lower ends 12, the portion 18 between them being unthreaded. The bolt 10 is screwed down until this unthreaded portion comes into the tie. The plate is then placed in position, the varying distances between the bolts 10 in the ties being accommodated by the slotted portions 14 of the openings 7 in the tie-plate. The rail is now placed in position upon the tie-plate and the fillers 9 are placed upon the bolts, being preferably made so as to just fill in the spaces between the bolt and the edge of the rail and the angle port-ion of the clip and the edge of the rail. The clips 4 and 5 are slipped over the upper ends of the bolts 10 and the angle portion 6 inserted through the openings 7 in the tie-plate and the lock-nuts 15 screwed down upon the clips to bring them firmly against the upper surface of the base of the rail.

I am aware thatv bolts with heads formed thereon have been used for clamping rails and cross-ties together. In such cases it be comes necessary to turn the bolt in the cross- 'tie in order to release the rail. This becomes impracticable, either from the impossibility of turning the bolt after it becomes corroded or from the wearing away of the soft material of the tie by the contact of the bolt-threads.

It will be seen that with my invention I secure the bolts in the cross-tie and the clamping is done by the nuts 15 without disturbing the bolts.

I11 order to force the screw-bolt 10 to its proper position in the cross-tie, I prefer to provide a socket crank or wrench 16. (Shown in Fig. 5, and in a modified form in Fig. 6.) The socket 17 is preferably provided with an internal screw-thread corresponding to the screw-thread upon the bolt 10. The bolt 10 is first inserted in this socket until the end of the bolt strikes against the upper wall. The wrench is then used as an ordinary bit and brace and the bolt 10 is screwed into the opening prepared for it in the cross-tie Without injury to the threads upon the said bolt.

In the modified form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the socket of the wrench is given the form shown at 18, Fig. 7, and is adapted to slip down over the upper part of the bolt, which in this case would be provided with the gripthread 11 upon the unthreaded portion of the bolt and there engaged with the corresponding notches 19 in the said unthreaded portion, when the bolt maybe screwed down. It will be seen that the clips 4 and 5 lie at an angle with the rail and the plate, the heels of the clips resting on the filler upon the tie-plate, their inner ends resting upon and bearing against the upper surfaces of the rail-base, thus serving, when subjected to the strain of the bolts 10, to hold the rail firmly in place upon the tie-plate, and also to hold the plate itself in correct position, binding the whole to the crosstie. To insure the rail keeping its position against movement laterally I provide the angle-pieces 6 upon the several clips that project through the openings in the plate 2, by means of which the clips and bolts are prevented from being pushed outwardly.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination of a railway-rail, its tie, a plate upon said tie supporting said rail, spring-clips overlapping the base of the rail, securing-bolts passing through said plate and clips, and fillers arranged underneath said clips and between said bolts and the edges of the rail-base, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a railway-rail and its tie, of a tie-plate having openings 7 and slots 14, spring clips engaging the base of the rail, bolts passed through said clips and said slots 14 and screwed into the tie, fillers 9 between said plate and said clips, and lock nuts 15 upon said bolts,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a railway-rail, its tie and tie-plate, of spring-clips bearing upon the upper surface of the rail-base and having heels projecting through openings in the tieplate, fillers between said clips and said plate, double-threaded bolts passing through said clips and plate and screwed into said tie, and nuts upon said bolts, substantially as described.

at. The combination, with a railway-rail, its tie, and a perforated tie-plate, of a spring-clip having its heel entering an opening in said plate and its body overlapping the base of the rail, a filler interposed between the edge of the rail-base and the heel of the clip, and a bolt passing through said plate and clip and securing said clip upon said rail and filler, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a railway-rail, its tie,and tie-plate, of slotted openings through said plate, bolts passing through said openings into said tie, fillers between said bolts and the edges of the rail-base, clips bearing upon said fillers and rail-base, and nuts threaded upon said bolts and bearing upon said clips.

6. The combination, with a railway-rail and its tie, of a tie-plate having openings there through, bolts passed through said openings into said tie and provided with a common standard thread upon thelowerend,and agripthread upon the upper end, and also provided with an unthreaded portion intermediate of said threads, fillers arranged upon said plate between said bolts and rail, spring-clips arranged upon said fillers and overlapping the rail-base, and having heels entering openings in the tie-plate, and lock-nuts upon the upper end of said bolts bearing upon said clips, substantially as described.

7. A railway-rail fastening comprising, in combination, a perforated tie-plate, a springclip overlapping the base of the rail, a down- .turned heel upon said clip engaging with said tie-plate, a filler arranged between the heel of the clip and the base of the rail, and means for securing said clip upon said filler and base, substantially as described.

8. In a railway-rail fastening, the combination of a perforated tie-plate, a bolt extending from the tie through the opening in said plate, a filler upon said plate, a spring-clip upon said filler and the base of the rail, having an opening to receive said bolt and an angle portion extending downward through the opening in said plate, and a locking-nut threaded upon said bolt and bearing upon said clip, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this 2d day of April, 1890.

CHARLES C. WRENSI'IALL.

In presence of O. H. OANFIELD, W. C. METCALF. 

